Princess Caroline of Monaco may have decided against suing the skier who crashed into her in the Austrian resort of Zürs last week, but an increasing number of British people are taking legal action against dangerous skiers.

Travel insurance specialist Options reported a 25 per cent increase in cases of UK clients being sued by or suing other skiers for dangerous skiing this season.

'There is a general move towards litigation in the UK - a feeling that someone is to blame when things go wrong,' said Andrew Blowers, managing director of Options. 'You only have to look at the increasing number of TV adverts from companies specialising in representing people who have been injured.'

He warned people to make sure they were adequately insured when they went skiing. Thousands are still heading to the slopes every year armed with the Form E111, which covers only medical costs - not third-party liability.

Even with E111 cover, a straightforward broken leg in France could leave a skier £1,500 out of pocket.